OVERSEA TROOPS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16435, 31 January 1919, Page 8

OVERSEA TROOPS.

A GLOWING TRIBUTE. (By Cable.—Pre* Association.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Auociaiicm*) LONDON, January 29. At the Australian and New Zealand luncheon. Sir A. Gonan Doyle delivered a glowing panegyric on the great deeds of the and New Zealandere in the war. He said the Australians had never been in a great disaster, but had twice saved the situation when the position was most'desperate— at Amriens and Hazebrottck. No division had a_ finer record than the New Zealand Division. It was in the line under fire from the time it came to the assistance of the Fifth Army in March till the armistice was signed. The New Zealanders commenced to advance on August 21st,- and never ceasedi to go forward, fighting all the ~ time till November 11th. ' "Now we have got Germany down." he said, "we ought tP pull her teeth and cut her claws. If we don't there is sure to be another "war." To obviate this, one of the strongest terms in the Peace Treaty should be that the territory west of the Rhine must be niade a separate "unit, from which Germany should not be allowed to raise conscripts, nor should any German troops De allowed west of the Khine. Then' the French people would be able to sleep at night. The German fleet should be taken in procession to blue water, the valves opened, and the ships sunk. x This would save pettey squabbling among the Allies as to who should have them. That would be the real "Der Tag."

Colonel Sir James Barrett moved: — "That this representative meeting of Australians expresses its appreciation of Mr Hughes's attitude in voicing at the Peace Conference' Australian opinion regarding the future of the Pacific Islands; that it'is essential that the former enemy possessions; captured by Australian forces shall for the future safety of the Commonwealth and the Dominion be placed effectively within their control, if necessarv under a mandate from tho Leaguo of Nations."

The motion was carried unanimously